MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2023) The border between Iran and Afghanistan is controlled by Iran's ground and border forces, the commander of the Islamic Republic's ground forces, Kioumars Heydari, said on Sunday following reports of two deadly clashes between the Taliban (under UN sanctions for terrorism) and Iranian border guards over the weekend.
"The border with Afghanistan is completely under the control of the ground forces ... the security of the borders is fully secured ... As long as the other country that shares the border with us observes the rules, it will see mutual respect, but if someone feels they don't want to observe them, they will be treated differently," Heydari was quoted as saying by Iranian news agency Tasnim during his visit to the Sistan and Baluchestan province bordering Afghanistan.
Earlier on Sunday, Tasnim reported that one Iranian border guard was killed and two more were injured in an armed clash with Taliban forces near the village of Sasouli in Sistan and Balouchestan. Taliban forces also suffered casualties as a result of the clash in Sasouli, but the extent is unclear, the report added. On Saturday, border guards on both sides clashed in the area between Iran's Sistan and Balouchestan province and Afghanistan's Nimruz, which resulted in one casualty for each of the sides.
